This invention relates to a surgical instrument assembly and an associated surgical technique.
During the performance of laparoscopic operations, it is frequently necessary to move an organ such as an intestine or an artery in order to reach an underlying organ. Such large tubular organs cannot be easily manipulated in laparoscopic surgery. Existing instruments such as grasping forceps have operating tips (e.g., jaws) which are basically too small to grasp a colon or major artery and move the organ without injury thereto.
Existing laparoscopic instruments are also ineffective to clamp large organs such as an intestine or an artery. Such a clamping operation would be helpful in trauma cases, for example, to prevent spillage of fecal matter from a perforated intestine.